Power and Influence - Getting Others to Follow Your Lead

Overview

Influence skills are partly a function of the skill with which the influencer uses an influence technique. Like a skilled craftsman, it takes time and practice to perfect those skills.
People who become highly skilled in the areas described below can be extraordinarily effective at leading and influencing other people.

The research on power and influence shows that there are twenty-eight skills associated with influence effectiveness. These skills fall into four categories: communication and reasoning, assertiveness, interpersonal, and interactive.

Influencing is a necessary skill for anyone in business, whether a person is a manager or a salesperson. The ability to bring others to your way of thinking without force or coercion is important in business. Influencing others is a transferable skill business persons take with them from job to job in the business world. Managers want to convince employees to work hard, and salesmen need to convince clients their product is the best purchase choice, for example.